Does anyone know anything about furnaces?

[finally]

I think I will need a new furnace soon and would rather be pro-active and get one instead of waiting for the one I have to conk out in the middle of a blizzard.

What do I need to know?  About how much will this cost?  Brand recommendations?  I have HW baseboards and under 1,000 sqft home.  I have natural gas.

[AmyRI]

Oil or natural gas?

[thatgirl2478]

If you have hot water baseboards, you'll probably need a new boiler. How old is your current boiler? Has it been serviced recently? I would have someone come in to service it / give you an assessment of it's remaining life. FWIW my parents have steam heat (radiators & a boiler), they are still using a boiler from the early 1900s (possibly earlier). During the winter, my Dad checks it weekly to make sure it has enough water, drains off the sediment, etc.

So basically boilers can last forever with the right care (even longer than forced air furnaces because they don't have as many mechanical things).

[kris356]

Oct 25, 2014 13:21:14 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

If you have hot water baseboards, you'll probably need a new boiler. How old is your current boiler? Has it been serviced recently? I would have someone come in to service it / give you an assessment of it's remaining life. FWIW my parents have steam heat (radiators & a boiler), they are still using a boiler from the early 1900s (possibly earlier). During the winter, my Dad checks it weekly to make sure it has enough water, drains off the sediment, etc.

So basically boilers can last forever with the right care (even longer than forced air furnaces because they don't have as many mechanical things).

Agree with all this. Boilers can last a lot longer than a furnace, our old one was over 30 years old before it was replaced and we only replaced it because I work for a company that is a rep for a couple boiler companies and I got it at cost.

I will say that most mechanical companies will try to talk you into a high efficiency model but unless you have made the rest of your home efficient (upgraded windows, insulation, etc) it is a waste. And a 82% efficient will be way cheaper.